The Proflavanol Test

Happy New Year to All!  :)

 As cliche as it is, me and my hubby decided to take the walk towards the "healthier Us" this year. We have given all our cravings and laziness enough time last year so we are going to try our best to steer away from the deeds.

 Lots of issues to resolve, weight loss, liver care, balance nutrition, heart care and the most chronic health problem to me last year-all year --Allergic Rhinitis and Sinusitis.

 A friend of mine introduced this product "Proflavonol by USANA" which is promised to help get rid of/prevent allergy problems. It works its way by boosting your immune system so that the body is not vulnerable to attacks.

I for one will not just endorse anything unless I've proven it to myself so I'll be doing this testing along with varieties of health related products.

 I've taken a lot of medications to cure sinus infections both prescription and homeopathic but it just keeps coming back. It was so bad that I've even considered a surgery just to stop it all.

Anyways,before going through the hard way of getting surgery tools so close to my brain, I'll take the preventive approach. That means I'll work  on strengthening my immune system and see  how it goes from there.

So this is the Product : Proflavanol

Dosage: Take 1 tablet a day

The bottle has 90 tablets so I'll keep you posted from time to time.

 ===========================      Progress Report     ==============================

 Day 1 -(Jan 1, 2012 ):  I can feel the itch in my skin, easily irritated by vehicular smoke, dust. I have the usual symptoms like clogged nose,facial pressure, headache, dry throat with post-nasal drips.

Bigoli's @ SM North Annex

It's another good find. Pretty much the same product line and marketing strategy with Fazoili's in Eastwood City

We were mainly intrigue by their lastest promo -Pizza-all-you-can-eat Challenge.

After a few rounds of walk, scouting the area for a place to eat, we finally decided to give it a try.

Serving pasta, pizza and other dishes, its not like their dishes are awful that they have to give the freebies. Their pizza and pasta actually taste good and served really hot. Ambiance is nice and casual.

Our overall experience was good so we will definitely eat here again.


Good points:
free garlic bread
refillable drinks available
good pizza/ food served hot
perfect for a casual group gatherings


Food Quality: 4.5/5
Ambiance: 4.5/5
Service: 5/5
Value for Money: 5/5


Treat.

Healthy Picks from The Old Spaghetti House

Spicy Chicken Tom-Yum Pizza ( Topped with Tomatoes, Mozzarella, Bean sprouts, Ginger and spices)

Combo platter : Ratatouille pizza, Ceasar salad with dressing on the side and Pasta ( forgot what its called).

Publish Post

Left photo: Tropical fruit juice; Right:Mango shake; Bottom: Pumpkin soup

Also try the the "Low carb Tacos" for starters. We already ate everything before I decided that I'm going to take pictures.

May it be for dieting peps or not - Treat.

Chicken Ati-atihan, Siquijor

Found in the downtown Larena, Chicken Ati-Atihan doesn't only cater to the appetite of the tourists. You'll notice that local people already marked the place as a regular hang-out to satisfy their chicken cravings.

I was mainly intrigue by the tag line " We did not invent grilled chicken; We perfected it". So I was like "okay lets try this!"

I ordered the BBQ grilled chicken with plain rice and hubby ordered his fried chicken servings. He was pretty excited to try and see if it taste like Inasal and so he said it is kinda like it. We both liked the fried chicken better than the grilled one. Its probably the sauce -I didn't like the mixture of fish sauce and Kalamansi and Labuyo. (Doesn't leave you much choice 'cause I tried asking for some vinegar and they didn't have any).

Its was a lot cheaper than our resort food for sure. We even had some take-out and its still didn't equal to one meal.

Note: Do not expect some nice modern fastfood setting here okay? Most foods here are served and cooked in a very basic way which could be the reason for their juiciness and taste.

The fried chicken here is a must-tryfor it can give Max's a run for its money.

Treat.

Why Not? (Deli, Bar & Videoke), Dumaguete

It was pretty rainy when we got off the ferry from Siquijor. For a wavy fridge-like odour ride, I can say that we did good holding our (excuse for the word) vomits.

Originally, we intended to consume our lunch in Hayahay Seaside Tree house Bar and Restaurant but since the tricycle driver told us that its pretty far/out of the way to Dumaguete Airport, we settled for a nearby restaurant that was practically a good walking-distance from the pier. (although we took the guy's trike.)

"Why Not? " is located along Rizal boulevard facing the shoreline. It was neat and pretty cozy inside and the bar is well maintained by the local staff who seemed to be very familiar with the foreign customers.

I wasn't starving yet so we just ordered a combo platter that was really yummy. True enough it was good for two. A serving of prawns, mouth-watering saucy steak, thick slices of house bread, some sort of rice and a choice of your own salad from their bar.

The serving portions are big and reasonably priced, food taste-awesome and the ambiance & staff are nice. We'll defintely come back.

Surely a treat.

The Flying Pig, Eastwood Mall

Walking around the Eastwood Mall with my hubby, we both agreed that we'll try the Johnny Rockets' burger next time because the long line to order extends outside their door.

We ended up trying The Flying Pig since they also have burgers in the menu. Upon ordering we we were told that all their burgers are not available. ( What a shame right? For having a giant banner of a burger outside-then nothing? W/e!)

As an alternative dinner we tried t,heir Manhattan Chowder and All meat Paella. They we're pretty good in terms of the taste, serving size and serving time.

Budget to eat is around P500-P800/per head. The food taste fine but its nothing fancy aswell as the place. I guess its pretty pricey for a simple meal.

The place is more suitable for groups than a dating-couple setup. For that you can go to Old Vine just few steps away. Treat though :P

Brooklyn Pizza J. Vargas (Metro Walk)

We usually get our orders through deliveries and only dined there a couple of times.

Here's what we thought:

Reasonably priced-need not to explained, servings are surely not stingy

Menu is user friendly- every dish is described as it is.

Very straight forward- no cheesy ads or hassle free ordering system

Simple place- plain dinning experience

Holy Cow - Robinson's Galleria

Two weeks ago we were in Ortigas vicinity for some appointment. So like the other weeks we were looking for a place to consume our "Weekend Treats".

We thought of TGI Friday's, Burgoo, Mexicali or something new. After 2 hrs of deciding we ended up trying this place with the "Steak house" concept expecting that we'll be satisfied with the menu and quality of food ( what a nice option for lunch right?)

So its called Holy Cow.. what can I say about it?

It was hard to find. We went through the whole West Wing of Robinson's Galleria since that's what their posters are saying and when we're about to give up with annoyance (like our instincts telling us not to look for it anymore) , it was right in the West Lane.

Good point- The service crew were friendly and accommodating. That's the only good thing I can remember.

Bad point- Most dishes that you would've imagined ordering were not available. No Burgers, No pasta (as in all pasta), Stingy servings that are not reasonable for the price.

Given that probably they weren't expecting the volume of people since they just opened, come on!! It was only like 2 hours ago when the mall opened! How can a resto be out of stock of every basic thing that most likely people will order? shouldn't they prepare enough? Its not like the place was people-flooded when we arrived...

The first time, waitress returned to me to say that the pasta I ordered is not available, she gave me some options but came back for the second time saying there's no more pasta at all.

Again, I changed my order with some steak and rice order - for the third time again I get an "F" for failure. Then I settled for some lunch-combo food that they have because I was already starving. We also ordered some shrimp appetizer and a supposedly decent-sized steak for Aaron.

Not for being stingy but I'm really practical when it comes to buying food. My rules are simple - If the food was really good or decent for the price then I won't care paying for it . If it sucks and

i feel like its not worth - I won't stop complaining about it ( just to my husband though :) I'm not rude like to other people in public places.

Aaron who doesn't complain about resto had something to say too. The food wasn't good,that food court barbecues are even better; that the servings were too stingy and so on... Too bad our phones were both dead to take pictures!

There was even a lone foreign guy (probably thinking just like us that steak house is a good option for lunch) who made a scene because everything he ordered from the menu were not available except for the soup. So he was pissed that when the waitress came to offer him some substitute food from menu for the the third time, he just said

" No Thanks! I'll just finish my soup and go somewhere else!"

And my bet that he'll fully go to Old Spaghetti House was confirmed when we walked out and saw him sitting there- eating happily.

By experience of loving restaurants, me and my husband were not impressed at all and swore that we're never eating there again EVER!!!


Trick.

Curious Cat in the Staircase -Day1

Its day one of my taking the stairs every morning routine or better to say its a trial period. I'd been thinking taking the stairs will tire me like I'm actually exercising or if will atleast make a difference.

I think I'd been slouching for so long that I can feel my body deteriorating due to lack or challenging physical activities therefore I will try this as a first step then the decision will come if I should go for the badminton try-out.

I started from the 2nd floor and even if I'd been living here for 2 years now, I seriously don't know where the door to the staircase in the ground floor is. I didn't want to make strange noises at 4 in the morning so I decided to walk instead of running.

Like how expected gauging from my own performance from what I remember last. It didn't make my legs hurt, strained or tired. I just felt a little dizzy upon reaching the 10th floor and I had to watch my step because the steps are colored grey and it seemed easier to miss 1.

The weird thing is that I have to stop and keep looking behind me because it sounded like I'm being followed like somebody got curious of what I was doing and decided to follow me. Then I just realized that its just the echo of my footsteps in the staircase and the hallways since you have to pass by some units to get upstairs.

It took me 6 minutes to get up to the 16th floor. .. Hmm..I Guess I'll try again tomorrow.

A GLOVES STORY (crazy double meaning :P )

>>> >>>A young man wished to purchase a gift for his new sweetheart's birthday, and as they had not been dating very long, after careful consideration he decided a pair of gloves would strike the right note -- romantic, but not too personal. Accompanied by his sweetheart's younger sister, he bought a pair of white gloves; the younger sister purchased a pair of panties for herself.

>>>During the wrapping, the clerk mixed up the items and the sister got the gloves and the sweetheart got the panties. Without checking the contents first, he sealed his package and mailed it to his sweetheart along with this note: >>>

-----------------------------------------------------------------

>>> >>>>>>Darling,

>>>I chose these because I noticed that you are not in the habit of wearing any when we go out in the evening. If it had not been for your sister, I would have chosen the long ones with buttons, but she wears short ones that are easy to remove.

>>>These are a delicate shade, but the lady I bought them from showed me the pair she had been wearing for the past three weeks and they were hardly soiled. I had her try yours on for me and she looked really smart.

>>>I wish I were there to put them on you for the first time, as no doubt other hands will come in contact with them before I have a chance to see you again.

>>>When you take them off, remember to blow in them before putting them away as they will naturally be a little damp from wearing.

>>>Just think how many times I will kiss them during the coming year. I hope you will wear them for me on Friday night.
>>>All my Love,>>>Hollingsworth >>>P.S The latest style is to wear them folded down with a little fur showing.

Balaoi,Ilocos Norte

Maira-ira Beach, blue lagoon

Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte

As far as I'm concerned, I consider Pagudpud,Ilocos Norte is one of the most time-worthy place to visit that is close to Manila. You can just enjoy the quiet life of the province ore enjoy varieties or activity without going to one place far from another. You may laze under the sun, surf, hike, do food trip, dive, stargazing, snorkeling, tour the historical places, enjoy the scenic vies and most of all spend quality time with your loved ones.

We spent our week-long Anniversary vacation just like how we did last year since Aaron doesn't really want to do the whole island hoping in Palawan this month. Being very familiar with the place and the mode of transactions there, we decided that it will be relaxing and less of a stress to come back there instead of trying to discover a new place like classic tourists. Besides we were really satisfied during our visit last year that we can almost predict the outcome of the trip (which is good).

From Eastwood City, we stopped by Robinson's Galleria in Ortigas for about 30 minutes to get snorkels and more memory cards before heading to Florida bus station in Sampaloc, Manila.

We weren't able to make reservation. An.d the Deluxe bus that directly goes to Pagudpud leaves at 9:30pm so to make sure that we can secure tickets for the seat, we took a cab via EDSA and Quezon Avenue, we reached the terminal at 20:50. Good enough time to do a little extra shopping for snacks and drinks in the nearby convinience store while waiting for the stop over in Marsha's.

Our bus left the terminal at exactly 21:35 Instead of playing a movie,the driver chose to tune up to a radio station that played love song which added to relaxing atmosphere of the starry night. And we kept fooling around talking criticizing the lyrics or random songs and reminiscing our last trip to Pagudpud, and how he really crave for the Empanadita's- that we should get a lot of it.

We were just tripped-out because our bus keeps stopping along the high-way whenever we come across another Florida bus. We were guessing that they're just cross-checking the tickets and stuff like that but we stopped for like 4 times or more for he whole trip.

There was no traffic or road trouble so we fell asleep and woke up realizing that we were already in Tarlac,Tarlac at 00:27. I kept looking around at the signboards while doing time checks so here's what I've got in my phone: Buang,La Union -02:01;Candon, Ilocos -03:25; Quirino Bridge in Ilocos Sur -4:19; Marsha's Delicacies in Bantay, Ilocos Sur-4:27; Vigan, Ilocos Sur- 5:40; Laoag City-5:50; Laoag-Cubao Terminal station- 6:18 ; Bangui at around 7:30 Then I started taking pictures of the windmills and the lighthouse along the way so I stopped the precise tracking. I was also exchanging messages to Mean-the owner of Polaris so they can time it and pick us up from the bus terminal beside the Municipal Town Hall.

Its kinda weird since we were like the only one's left in the bus who perfectly doesn't understand and speak Ilocano. And the guys who were talking gibberish with the bus driver and conductor and kept looking at us giggling like they were betting on something. Finally somebody asked us where were we headed to and if we need some sort of transportation to get to the resort, offering their tricycle. I just politely answered that we're going to Polaris and that they're going to pick us up.

We arrived at Polaris before 9:30 so the whole trip was less than 12 hours. We've finally met the owner Mean who wasn't there last year when went there. first thing I noticed was that she's nice and chatty which is a good trait for a host. They took us to our room in the 3rd floor which has a veranda facing the beach.

to be continued...

Chuck " The Ice Man" Liddell in Manila

After losing the fight in UFC 79 to Rashad “Sugar” Evans, The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) legend fighter Chuck "The Ice Man" Liddell graced an appearance before his Filipino fans in the Mall of Asia (MOA) Atrium yesterday, September 21, 2008 at around 4:00pm.

The practice was said to be a show to promote the upcoming UFC 88 fight where Liddell will try to win back his title from Evans.

The Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) enthusiasts flooded the Atrium as early as 2:00pm waiting for their hero's appearance. To most people the wait is worth it since its not like they see "The Ice Man" in flesh everyday plus he showed them some of his practice moves which of course thrilled them even more. After the show he signed up autographs on almost "anything" that the fans can grab to get his signature.

Since MMA is a growing hobby/sport in the country, with the UFC as one of its major influences, we will surely watch all the upcoming fights. Although " The Ice Man " will always be an icon that the new fighters will look up to regardless the outcome of UFC 88.

Deer strapped on the car

Freaking hilarious!

LMAO. I was sitting on the couch with my big-big smile while watching this video.

I personally think this is cute and funny especially the part where a big guy is beating the crap out of the strapped deer like he's still not decided whether he's scared or what (of course its only funny because its not a real one)... I would have done this too just for jokes.

Whoever made this video...Good job guys!! hope you don't get complains from PETA lol :P

Oktoberfest??

Does this famous festival name be dragged and used for the 4-month long "Oktoberfest" of San Miguel Corporation?



True that many of us can't get enough of the Oktoberfest fad eventhough we are already celebrating it in the country for a good long 2 months or so for the last years. Okay fine let's just say that they want to bring fun t more people...

Re- connecting

I haven't really talked to anyone for a year or two..not even my closest friends from college.

Efforts had been made but I gave up thinking that it's just mathematically impossible to fit to each other's schedule. Everyone has a handful of things to do in mind plus the fact that most of us work or moved to another city after college.

A pity... but then you learn to entrust your friendship to social networking sites like Friendster, Facebook or Myspace. If you're lucky enough someone might have created and organized a group for your batch. You can also reach them thrffough Yahoo groups because only a few have time to spare for blogs like this one.

People have been busy running around, fooling around, trying to plant their roots somewhere they can grow hoping that one day their hard work will payoff and they will reap the rewards.

For the past 2 weeks I had some "free time" and the chance to talk to some dear friends and acquaintances. I'll admit that it was somehow exciting to hear from the people that I care about after some time. However, I won't deny the fact that a lot of people who are trying to to get in touch with me means no good at all. I can even consider them as nothing but a waste of time and electricity (using the laptop).

I talked to some of my closest girlfriends from high school and college and we all agreed that we should meet ASAP - and of course we will.

On the other hand, to all those who have aggravated and provoked me... "See ya later hater"!! Say goodbye to messaging me for your blabby chats..Sorry guys - I'm so blocking you from pestering my world! Its time to make something out of your own lives and stop interrogating people like private investigators.

To my real friends... see you all soon!
:)

The way I remember passwords

Wow after months of trouble trying to get into this account..here i am..struggling to put in words the random ideas in my head for the last hour while trying out random passwords.. It's just so secure that I can't even guess my own password. With all the hacking technologies this days, can't be too careless can I?

I recall reading something about how you can tell the person's priority in life just by looking closely to the email addresses they use: the screen name and the passwords they use.. its either the exact words that describes their life or the other way around- the exact opposite. Which do you think is mine??

Its so easy to lose yourself in the cyber world, being in contact with people that you haven't seen for ages and even those you haven't seen at all.

Its like going to a place where nobody knows you personally. Therefore you can feel so free that you don't have to worry about what people will say or think about you if they see you doing this or that.. besides they don't even know you at all so they don't have a point of comparison to be able to tell whether you're being better or worst from the last time they remember you.

An example I can give now is from a news i read this month. Its about a professor who got kicked out of the school he was teaching when the students found his naked pictures in a Gay dating site.

Apparently the students found a weird sort of name at the bottom of thee slide show page prepared by the professor during a lecture. The students got curious and googled the said name and boom!! They saw their professor's profile saying that he is gay; dating gays and stuff like that with photos of his naked body. It turned out that the word at the bottom of the slide was his user name for the gay dating site. Later some student passed the information to the school admin and the professor was removed from the school.

Imagine how all those people around you feel and think when they were filling out the Internet forms where they chose a user name and passwords..

Want to know someone deeper? Give it a try? Crack the password and break the code!

Applying for Passport in DFA

Few days after obtaining my last requirement for the passport application, I went to Department of Foreign Affair (DFA) in Pasay with my friend Charry and just get it over with.

I was told that you have to be there as early as you can because if you're going to be there at around 7a.m. , all you can get is a schedule of appointment for the next day or who knows when?..We as soon as we finished our shift at 3:30a.m. thinking that we're gonna be early enough to beat the crowd.

On our way Charry was reminding me of things to do and to ignore the fixers outside the compound. I've never been to DFA and I don't even know how it actually looks like so that's a really big help. Thanks Cha! :)

I was surprised to see that the road outside the DFA brick wall was so buy and I could have had mistaken it for a pier port because of the ambiance. the bright yellow light; all the people roaming the street; the guys yelling at people like barkers/porters saying " O bilisan nyo na magka-cut off na and DFA!! " I was thinking " What the heck? Its only like past 4a.m. and they're already cutting the line? " and some guys started dragging us to a corner store asking if we have all of our requirements already and if we already have copies and pictures and stuff like that.

They would really put the pressure on you and make you think that they really were part of the DFA process when in reality they were trying to scam the people by overcharging with the services. (You know the supply and demand thing).

Unluckily Cha didn't make it inside the DFA compound because they only allow applicants with enough requirement for either new application or renewal of passport. We both agreed that she'll wait outside until 6a.m. and will go home after and we'll just communicate through text.

I walked in expecting that I'll just go straight to the covered basketball court since its still early. To my surprised the basketball court was already filled and I have to wait in line outside. I had no other choice so I waited for more than 2 hours just to get in and another 3 hours to finish the whole precess.Good thing that I secured all the documents and didn't get my picture from the sidewalk where the fixers are.

As a tip I would suggest future applicants to secure all their papers and jump right into the line inside the court since its more convenient. While waiting you can befriend someone whose sitting right beside so that you can secure your line/ seat (which is always moving as the process goes).

Don't bother getting your pictures and stuff photo-copied outside the compound because there are booths setup inside for those needs. Make sure you don't give them your originals unless the instructions said so. In My case they took the originals of authenticated Birth Certificate and NBI clearance.

In the posters everywhere it says the "rush" which cost P750.00 will be done within 14 working days and the "regular " that cost P500.00 will be ready within a month. So I picked the faster one. Ironically at the end of my process the posted schedules for the rush is more that how ever long its supposed to be.

I didn't really care much at that time. Out of exhaustion and lack of sleep I decided to sign up for the delivery service via LBC or To-Go !which only cost me an extra hundred or so but will save me from the struggles of claiming it personally.

CFO Counseling for Philippine Passport

Prior to my passport application in the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) , I had to attend some counseling session and get a certificate from the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) in the The St. Mary Euphrasia Foundation-Center for Overseas Workers (SMEF-COW) compound in Cubao .It was a pre-requisite counseling program for fiancees and spouses of foreign nationals before they can obtain passport or migrate to other countries.

I called their office a week ago to check on the requirements and schedule of counseling. They said they have 3 schedules per day and that the counseling can take 2-3 hours.

There'd been other plans for the day so I decided to go for the 8:30 am session. I got up early in the morning and re-check all the documents needed to attend the counseling.

a. NSO authenticated birth certificate
b. NSO authenticated marriage certificate
c. NBI clearance, company ID and more IDs just in case

It was already quarter to 8:00 so i was in big rush thinking of the classical scene in a government office. crowded, seminars starts whether you are there or not, and most of all the snobby workers who wouldn't look you in the eyes or smile. The cab driver took the Marikina road from Eastwood City and it took us less than 20 minutes to get right inside the " Giant green gate" like how they described in the website's direction.

The guard was friendly but he made me nervous when he said that they no longer conduct counseling. My first question was "Bakit Manong?"( Why is that mr.?) then he started laughing and pointed the direction to the building's door. That was the time when i felt the relief and noticed that there are some people waiting in a little shed outside the door wondering if there's some sort of a line.

Basic procedures, First, you will have to sign in a log book then hand them the original and copy of papers so they can verify if you're qualified for the counseling. Second, they will hand you out the information form to fillout aswell as the survey questionaires about the overall service you were provided after you pa the P250.00 counseling fee.Third is for them to take your picture for their records.

I was in panic because I haven't filled out the papers yet and its already 8:30, at least in my watch. And so I walked straight to the wooden tables and sat there until one of the assisting ladies called my attention asking " miss, is that your blazer?" that was when i started laughing guilty. I forgot that one of the girl lend me that purplish-brown blazer for the picture taking because I'm wearing a sleeveless blouse. ( nyek..nyek..i brushed it off after :p )

Surprisingly there's only like 10 people attending the counseling. They told us all to go straight to the video presentation room for the orientation. On my way i saw the rooms designated to some countries like US, Japan, Italy and another room for others.. including me..and we were told that the rooms are for group counseling.

The actual counseling can be divided into three parts:
1.) Video presentation with Q&A
2.)Group counseling
3.) Individual counseling

After the presentation I went downstairs to wait for my counseling and since I'm the only one bound to Canada from that group i didn't wait that long. another point I think is that they can already tell the real circumstances about my case as we went by so there's really no need to ask more questions.

I filled out my survey sheet and gave it a perfect score although the facility wasn't that great. What do I care about the facilities as long as they do the job right?:) and knowing that most personnel gave their best to make the real point, I think its good enough.

The wait fro the print out of the green counseling certificate was also fast and all i had to do is to photocopy the certificate and go to the actual CFO office at the back of the Building. They filed the papers from SMEF-COW and printed a blue certificate that cost P400.00.

#30